Speedway Stout | AleSmith Brewing Company

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Jet Black, with an off-white head. Starts with a strong coffee and dark chocolate sensation, then fades to a multitude of toasty, roasty and caramel malt flavors. Clean and crisp, full- bodied. Warmth from the high alcohol content lightens up the feel. You won't fool your taste buds - this beer is HUGE!

Reviews by SwillinBrew:

Had this on tap at Hollingshead. Actually, until this one, i've never seen nitro used at the Head.

Well, this poured a beautiful black as midnight color that was like an expresso without any cream. No light shined thru and the head had a chocolate chip cookie color to it. My head was actually 4 inches high and i was going to ding for that, but actually, i attribute this to the Head having the wrong mix of nitro.
The aromatics were pure "roasting on an open fire" roastiness, burnt toast and coffee. The tidal wave of scented goodness really slaps you like a pimp.
The flavors are just immaculate. A tidal wave of cocoa, coffee, caramel and crisp toast bread flood your palate then divide and conquer. While i detected the alcohol, it was nicely woven in with the flavors. There's no doubt you just had some speedway stout... you wont forget it.
Quite heavy on the tongue and a bit chewey. I like the carbonation because you'd think it would lean towards being flat, but it's not. My advise, get some of this and drink it! Then drink more! This is the best stout i've ever had.

More User Reviews:

5/5 rDev +14.2%look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Obsidian. Other than a mere sliver of pecan shell brown along the bottom edge of the glass, this beer is a complete black hole. The coffee-with-cream colored head looks nearly as thick and as meaty as the liquid on which it sits. Its moonscape surface contains multiple bubbles of various sizes that create pits and craters as they burst. Lace is in relatively short supply, but then I wasn't expecting much given the ABV.

The aroma was amazing as I poured and is no less amazing now that I'm concentrating on it for real. The three major components are ridicously roasted black malt, bittersweet chocolate and espresso. I can pick up the slightest hint of alcohol, though it's more than welcome in a beer as big as this one is.

AleSmith Speedway Stout is better than expected... and I expected no less than greatness. This is one of the hugest, most full-flavored, most mouthfilling ales of any style that I've ever had the pleasure to drink. Words fail me when attempting to describe the sheer massiveness of the malt backbone. Each sip explodes with the force of a daisy cutter, sending great gouts of melted, coffee bean-flecked chocolate fudge up, down and sideways until my mouth seems unable to contain it all.

SS tastes blacker, meaner, more menacing than most other American double stouts that I've run across. It's more along the lines of an RIS in that regard. It's as sweet and as chocolatey as any other ADS, but it's also impressively bitter and has a huge blackstrap molasses vibe goin' on. In fact, the flavor profile contains the entire gamut of stout flavors and still manages to combine them into a beautiful, seamless whole.

I don't like coffee and I'm not usually a fan of coffee-dominant beer. I had a few qualms about this one when I read the back label and found out that 'pounds and pounds of coffee beans' were added during the brewing. Surprisingly, the flavor isn't overwhelmingly java-like. The finish is freakishly long and leaves the mouth and tongue coated with a 'bitter hop cones (mixed with fire-roasted black malt)' layer of scum that one doesn't usually find outside the biggest IPAs/DIPAs.

That brings us to mouthfeel. Simply put, this beer has one of the three biggest mouthfeels in all of beerdom. It's easily the equal of Dark Lord (I'm leaving the third spot open because nothing else comes readily to mind). If you've ever drunk eggnog or heavy cream, you'll have some idea of what it feels like. It's velvety smooth and impossibly creamy. In other words, it's mouth candy for those of us whose attach more importance to mouthfeel than to anything other than flavor.

I've just realized that I haven't even commented on the ABV or the noticeable alchohol yet. That's because this is one of the most well-masked high alcohol beers in existence. Whether that has more to do with its age (an estimated 1 year) or to its brewer's skill, I couldn't say. As noted in the nose, the alcohol is an integral part of the whole and is a more than welcome contributor. Completely burying the beast just wouldn't be right; a little controlled snarl is just what this beer needs.

AleSmith Speedway Stout deserves every accolade ever thrown its way. I'd love to scratch off the 2nd place ribbon shown on the rear label since this behemoth takes a back seat to no stout. No how, no way. This is a truly special beer brewed by a truly special brewery and is not to be missed.

Look is dark mahogany, thick, with a fluffy tan head from a hard pour. film sticks around the top with a thin ring and spotty lacing.

Smell is strong roasty malts and notes of coffee.

Taste is coffee first, wonderful and not too bitter or acidic. Cocoa is next and very good, finally the roasty malts carry it home. Lots of layers here, complex without trying to do too much.

Feel is off the charts, thick and creamy, enough carbonation to make it lively on the tongue, and a long finish that brings out the bitterness. Excellent feel, don't even want to swallow except to get another drink!

Overall, this is one of the best stouts of any variety I've had. Everything is rich, without being too over the top or smacking you in the face. Drinks really smooth and there's no signs of the big abv.

Speedway.. I'm sorry. I tried you several years ago when I was a very inexperienced beer person.. I didn't like "coffee" in my beers.. You were bitter and difficult to finish. But I've learned. I've learned so much. About me. About you. And I want to apologize. You're wonderful. You're delicious. You're cold, black and strong, just the way I like em. Please forgive me. I love you.

Thanks to orfeu I finally get a chance to have this brew,poured into an imperial pint glass a jet black with a very tight formed 1 1/2 finger mocha colored head that leaves globs of lace as it ever so slowly settled.Aromas of bitter chocolate,dark roast coffee a very definitive fruit essence,even a hint of tree bark.Starts out quite dry with big French Roast coffee flavors with notes of earth and wood after awhite a sweeter rummy like flavor comes thru that lingers after the finish.The alcohol creeps but never really rears its head just a nice little burn,wow this is a masterpiece stout its huge and packed with intense flavor,a gem no doubt and probably my new favorite stout of any kind.

Theres a running theme with Speedway Stout and my attempts to review it. I open a bottle with the full intent on writing a review. Half way through that bottle, I am overcome by the amazing wonderment that is Speedway. Soon after a desperate craving to drink more and more Speedway develops and doesnt subside until I have filled my gullet with every stout and coffee beer in my house. By the time I recover, I have usually forgotten half of what I had intended to write about the beer. Still, all themes change and alas, it is time for me to finally review Speedway Stout.

This particular bottle was a touch over 3 years old, well cellared, and was given to me in San Francisco some time ago. Compared to younger vintages, I found that the aging mellowed the body, dramatically reduced the coffee flavor, and brought out more dark fruit character.

Appearance: Jet black with a thick head the color of antique, old growth Douglas Fir. Head retreats rapidly to a skim. Ample carbonation.

Picked up from Total Wine & More in Woodland Hills, CA. Poured from a 1 Pint can into a Smuttynose Stout glass.

Look: Pours a jet black with a small head of tan foam. Consistent lacing that dissipates slowly.
Smell: Very evident coffee notes that fades and is replaced with an awesome bitter but sweet chocolate balance. Even getting initial hints of black cherry.
Taste: Bitter cacao nibs, coffee, toasty malts in the finish. Slight breadiness throughout that really enhances the strong chocolate malt and coffee.
Feel: Awesome mouthfeel, and with a smooth but heavy body, really the only indicator of the fact that this beer rings in at 12% ABV. Sticky, very low carbonation, incredibly smooth.

Overall, this beer is incredible. I'd heard nothing but good things and I knew it was a must have. For me this stands tall with North Coast's Old Rasputin but with that more prevalent chocolate that I feel was the only thing I could critique about Rasputin. I'd be curious to see if there were any profile differences when poured from Alesmith's bottled Speedway Stout.

This is my 750th beer review on BA. To celebrate number 750, I decided to review a special beer in a 750ml bottle. What better occasion to review Speedway Stout, an awesome beer but one I have yet to review.

A- Pours a deep dark pitch black color with a nice tan colored head that leaves a good amount of lacing and retention.

S- The aroma is spectacular. Dark roasted malts, loads of coffee, hints of cocoa and hints of alcohol make up the fabulous aroma.

T- The taste is unsurprisingly as big and bold as the aroma. The taste starts a bit sweet with the dark roasted malts dominating. Some bitter coffee flavors start to come into play somewhere in the middle, with the bitterness lasting well into the finish. There is also some warming from the alcohol, but it is not as noticable as you would expect from a beer with such a high ABV.

M- The mouthfeel has a very nice smooth and creamy texture with a perfect amount of carbonation.

D- This is definitely a sipper, but it is dangerously drinkable considering the high ABV.

Overall, AleSmith Speedway Stout is one of the finest beers of it's styles and one of my favorite beers regardless of style. Highly Recoomended.

Flavor carries through with loads of roasted black richness, molasses, caramel, chocolate, coffee...a bit too rich for my taste, it is over the top, too syrupy and alcoholic to have much drinkability. Fun to try once and maybe best beside a fire in the winter, but I would probably go for a Belgian quadrupel in that case.

Unbalanced as far as imperial stouts are concerned. The taste of alcohol is unmasked, I think the coffee could have been ramped up to help mute the alcohol. Lots of chocolate on the front, after which all I tasted was burn. The nose closely follows the taste. Pours dark with more head than you see with most imperial stouts.

Despite what is stated on the packaging, I strongly suggest drinking this at ~62 degrees.

L -- This is the darkest beer I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. 1,000 lumens (roughly the power of a car headlamp) passed through the glass reveals... nothing. Nada. Absolutely no light passed through the pitch blackness that is this brew. 2-finger tan head produced with moderate pour. Great retention and moderate lacing.
S -- Coffee, well-roasted barley malts, bittersweet chocolate, fruity yeast esters, molasses, caramel, toffee, and vanilla
T -- A perfect balance between a molasses/caramel/toffee sweetness and intense flavors of espresso, dark chocolate, and a rich earthiness. Tastes like a well-made coffee ice cream that's been melted and turned into a 12% ABV beer.
F -- Thick, chewy, and velvety, yet immensely drinkable thanks to the perfect levels of carbonation and sweetness.
O -- From start to finish, this is hands down the best stout I've had. Blows Breakfast Stout, Old Rasputin, etc. out of the water. In Massachusetts, though, it's pretty damn pricey at ~$9 for a 16 oz. can.

91/100

EDIT (11/13/17):
Still blown away by the soft, thick mouthfeel on this. It does indeed taste like a melted coffee ice cream

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a thin dark foamy head. Aroma of roasted malt with some coffee notes though not as dominating as I was expecting from reading all those ratings. Taste is dominated by roasted malt, caramel and coffee with a real creamy texture that I enjoyed. Bitter ending but not as hops explosive as I was expecting from other reviews. Overall, this is a good imperial stout but to me it doesnt match Bells Expedition or even Storm King; but then again, Im not the most avid stout drinker out there.

I totally dig this beer. it is everything to me that a really good stout should be and serves well by itself or along side a properly cooked steak.

It isn't a harsh coffee...or chocolatey beer...but manages to hit it perfectly while throwing in some vanilla. Honestly the most important to me is it doesn't end up tasting like a chemical mess like some of the others I have had.

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a quarter finger-high beige head that quickly died down, leaving a thick ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass and wispy patches of bubbles covering the surface. The wispy bubbles eventually faded away, but a thick ring of bubbles consistently remained around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of chocolate in the nose.
T: The taste has strong flavors of bittersweet chocolate and coffee beans along with notes of dark roasted malts. A light amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and quite smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a stout that is packed with an intense amount of flavors and hides its alcohol relatively well.

Was drunk in comparison with Mikkeller Beer Geek Vanilla Shake.
A: Black with a small creamy head, some viscosity in the pour.
S: Nose is not heavy on the coffee but many cognac notes. Chocolate, toffee, dry fruits.
T: Dark malt, cocoa, cream, caramel. Some hop bitterness.
F: Heavy weight and so smooth and creamy on the palate. 12% is nowhere to be found.
A very well done chocolate/coffee imperial stout.

S: Lots of espresso mixed with very dark malt and some hints of dark chocolate.

T: Lots, and I mean lots, of roasted espresso flavors, creating a sensation of dark, tart cherries. This is paired with some mild dark chocolate as well as pale malt sweetness and a hint of bittering hops.

M: Very smooth with a medium-full body and a good amount of carbonation.

D: This is definitely a sipper, but a good one at that. Like my morning espresso, only with a lot more complexity and definitive hints of alcohol. Very delicious.

Taste: Starts out with a mouthful or rich, sweetened espresso that builds in molasses and chocolate flavors by mid-palate; after the swallow, the hoppy bitterness kicks in and is accompanied by some fruity character

This exits the bottle in languid drip that rouses itself to a half hearted attempt at liquidity, finally filling the snifter with an almost black, almost opaque beauty of a petroleum pour that is topped by an incessant and brown one-finger head of thick foam that finally settles to a thick cap. If there was an imperial stout beauty contest this baby makes the finals for sure.

The smell is a full aroma of rounded yeast notes, dark caramel, roasty-toasty scents, and pulling through it all is delicious coffee. Alcohol vapors are in the back of it, and give the bouquet a warm boost.

Oh my, where to start? The taste of this is exceptionally fine. It is very full of all the wonderful flavors in the nose, but there are burnt notes in there, dark chocolate, a subtle sweetness, sort of an herbal taste as I swallow, and a finish that is pure bitter, and herbal, half-dry, and luscious. Coffee is in there strongly, blessedly, make no mistake, the clean flavor of it is in the beginning, middle, and end of the sip. But here it is a partner with all the other flavors to blend into a magnificent stout. Sort of like the overture to Nozzi di Figaro, full of soprano, baritone, alto, and basso,containing many themes which all are tied together by irony, but combined through the magnificence of a genius composer to a work that is transcendental. The "composer" of this brew is Alesmith, worthy here of comparison to Mozart. Missing completely from the flavor profile is alcohol. This stout f***ing rocks.

The feel of this belies the look. It is creamy and surprisingly light on the tongue. It looks chewy, and is quite viscous, but it is low carb, clean cling, and easy on the palate. How they accomplished this is something worth learning.

Drinkability for an Imp Stout seems moot to me, but this stout can be consumed at an extremely self-destructive pace of sipping.

I can't look at this bottle, and not think about Indianapolis. You know, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500? I lived in Indiana for 28 years and never went to the race. I never saw the Brickyard 400 there, either. Or the moto GP stuff they did. They even race F1 there. But I did walk the golf course, so there's that! Matter of fact, we had tickets to the Indy 500 the last year we were living in Indiana and didn't end up going. Oh well, go fast and turn left!

Until recently I hadn't tried this beer. We couldn't get AleSmith in Indiana, ironic, but the other day after 18 holes at Papago Golf Course we went over to O.H.S.O. They had it on tap. I remember it being great, but I was also eating a jalapeno burger and drinking several other beers. So today I can focus on the beer as is, and spend some time with this big black bottle. We did get the chance to try the Vietnamese Coffee Stout a few weeks ago at a tasting. It was incredible, as well. OK, here we go… Speedway Stout!

In the Glass: OK, so this beer looks amazing coming out of the bottle. It's thick and I can already smell the coffee. Then the dark tan head starts to form and just sticks to the side of the glass like glue. I don't remember my sample of O.H.S.O. being so memorable. But like I said, now I am able to focus solely on the bottle that I have in front of me.

The beer, as the head begins to settle, is dark as night and the head just sits there. Give me a spoon because that head isn't going anywhere. This is a good sign of a great beer to come.

Nose: At first I am smelling dark roasted coffee flavors, then I get a nice metallic ting toward the end of the sniff. Granted, I am smelling the head… so the beer itself might smell different. I will want to see what it smells like once the head is gone. I am also getting some nice milk chocolate aroma toward the finish that have me tasting the beer before I even take a sip. The head is gone… time to take a sip! (Actually, the head isn't gone… but I am getting impatient. Bottoms up, people!)

Flavor: This is too cold, but I couldn't wait any longer. Glad I didn't… WOW. This beer is incredible. There is a TON of coffee at first, then the booze kicks in, and the finish is that of a nice cup of Joe. Holy crap, this beer is amazing. I can't imagine how good this will get with age. The bottles says to wait 6 to 24 months before opening this. I would like to see what 3 or 5 years does to a bottle of this. That is just an incredible flavor and experience all across the board. I do NOT remember is being this good on tap. I haven't had a ton of beers from AleSmith, but this one is one of the best beers I have had in a long time. Bravo, AleSmith!

Mouthfeel: It's thick, and there are no bubbles to speak of. It is almost too thick, and I am sure it will thicken a bit as it heats up. But that's OK. That is just a part of the overall experience with this bottle. It's a big bottle, too. I was surprised when I took off the foil it was capped and not corked. Oh well, still a great beer and I am SO glad that it is on our list. I am starting to stop buying beers that are not on the list to get through the beers we have to buy. Of course, I am still buying a few six packs every week of stuff just to enjoy!

I did take a sip to swish around in my mouth, and it didn't really do much for me. The bubbles then become overwhelming, and the finish becomes drying. Speaking of the finish…

Aftertaste: Not my favorite part of this beer, actually. I would say just the overall experience here is my favorite part. This is a bottle that, if drinking alone, I could spend 2 or 3 hours with. I bet this would be a good cigar beer, too. Regardless, the beer is very easy to drink considering the ABV, and you would never know that as this heats up. The booze begins to, as it nears room temperature, disappear and more coffee and chocolate flavors rush to the surface.

AleSmith, you have outdone yourself. This bottle is worth every penny of the $12.99 price tag, and is the official Total Wine & More 1001 Bottles bottle of the week this week at the Scottsdale location. It's cool to get a local liquor store to promote what we are trying to do here. One beer at a time, anyway!

If you haven't had this beer, do yourself a favor and get a bottle. This beer is ridiculous. I will let my last few sips get to room temperature before I finish my glass. Man, what a great brew. Cheers!

The mighty Speedway Stout, managed to finally get a bottle from my local shop in Bethlehem. I knew that it's said to be better with age but I was very excited to try it and didn't bother waiting more than a week or two to open it up. The pour was pitch black and gave off a nice brown colored head on it. The smell was deeply roasted and had elements of coffee and chocolate. The flavor of the beer seemed to me like it was lacking something. The flavors were pretty good but not something that I was expecting. I guess I was missing the WOW factor of it all. The flavors were the same as what was picked up on the nose with a subtle hoppiness to it. The mouthfeel was pretty good, not overly thick but still had enough body to keep it intact with the style. Overall I wasn't extremely impressed with this, I've picked up another bottle since and I plan on aging it for a while. I plan on revising this review when that time comes.

Treated as an American Double/Imperial Stout, I poured this into a snifter.
The appearance was a dark brown close to black color with a slim finger's worth of a mocha head. A mild touch of stringy lacing slides into the beer.
The smell has rich dark chocolate along with sweet milk chocolate combining into subtle roasty coffee. Light smoke and black licorice fulfills the balance of its aroma.
The taste plays upon the sweet and the roast passing off to the smoke and sweetness of the black licorice. A mild sweet to roasty aftertaste runs into the finish.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a great sipping quality about it. Minimal stickiness allows a subtle harshness from the carbonation to mildly hit my tongue. Feels really nice.
Overall, hot damn, what a mighty fine American Double/Imperial Stout. So glad I have another bottle to pull out this winter.